Caroline Walker - Birth Reflections
Is there anything more awe inspiring than the miracle of birth? For many people the answer is God. The problem is that faith alone is a hard construct to communicate, but even an atheist would be hard pressed to discount the solemn reverence places of worship elicit, especially from religions that rely heavily on visual symbolism.
The Grade II listed gothic revival Fitzrovia Chapel, set in the middle of a modern housing block where Middlesex Hospital once stood, exemplifies that approach.
Paraphrasing “Ugly as Sin” by Michael R. Rose, UKessays.com writes “A creditable church will also use iconography to capture something bigger. ‘…painting, sculpture, and architecture are meant to work together to produce a unified effect’… to emphasize the importance of beautiful creations in the world.”
And what more beautiful creation can there be than the creation of life itself? Which often happens in another type of building often held with reverence: Hospitals.
When Caroline Walker (@CarolineWalkerArtist) became pregnant, the maternity wards she visited provided inspiration for a series that follows her tradition of painting women at work, but also pays homage to artworks that once hung in Middlesex Hospital.
Walker’s photorealistic approach gives the maternity ward an eerily unrealistic, yet incredibly tender, frozen-in-time appearance. I partly attribute this to the absence of any sound when I see them. Places of worship are known for being quiet, but hospitals are not.
Or maybe my Catholic upbringing is attributing additional reverence to the work due to the space in which they hang? Seeing imagery of helpless newborns being kept safe — displayed in a setting intended to make people feel safe and loved — is a powerful combination.
At Fitzrovia Chapel (@FitzroviaChapel) until 04 Mar
Visit CarolineWalker.org for more information on the artist
BONUS
Small scale ink drawings and oil sketches that Caroline made with these works are on display in the UCLH Hospital. Direct access is limited to staff and patients, but they can be viewed through the windows along the Euston Road, just around the corner from Warren Street Tube Station. Until 06 April.
